I gave up on treatment of supposed parasites after NOTHING was working (salt treatments did nothing, and then I tried some medication). Two days ago, my fish started pineconing and was extremely lethargic, so I figured it was the end.

As a last resort, I tried some "dropsy cure" medication. And surprisingly, it worked o_0 Now my fish is back to his regular behavior, but he STILL has parasites or whatever they are. [He's tail-biting now too, but I figure that's either because he's stressed from the medication, or he finally realized there's a betta in the tank next to him]

His stomach is still huge, white, and semi-transparent. The medication I tried earlier for it is literally the ONLY anti-parasite medication I can find ANYWHERE (Tetra ParasiteGuard). I've seen Maradel, Maracyn, etc. but I'd like to know if those will work before I spend $15+ on them x_X

Or maybe there's something online I could order? Or should I just give up again, because I feel bad giving him all these treatmetns (and I'm sure its not good for him)

he could be stressed or bored and its why he is biting his tail.make sure he has a good hiding place.re arrange his decorations.

Maracyn is pretty good broad spectrum anti bacterial....all i know really to do is keep the water clean.even give him attention.i wave my hands at my bettas and they start swimming excitedly.or ill go stand next to their tanks for a few minutes and give them attention..

i would also try putting him in a dark place with minimum disturbance..to me it sounds more like stress.i would also use some aquarium salt to help him calm down and protect him against diseases etc..as others mentioned in the other thread u linked too...id go with the salt.

hopefully 1 of the experts will also comment here if not already by the time i post this...a good person to contact would be OFL(OldFishLady) she is great with this kinda stuff.i always take her advice and everything works out great.i say she is a betta whisperer.i know there are other experts but dont them all yet.and as its her i see people recommend on this kinda thing.

Okay -- I don't think this is parasites at all, especially as you've treated for parasites and the fish is still the same.

I hate to say it, but perhaps he has a tumour? If this was a serious bacterial issue, I am guessing he'd a very very ill fish by now..

I would NOT use aquarium salt on this guy, anyway -- you can safely keep him in epsom for the rest of his life if necessary, it doesn't have the same harmful effects as AQ salt. If you read some OldFishLady's posts on treating bloated fish, you'll see a 'recipe' for water changes with IAL and epsom that a lot of folks have found really useful.

I had the exact same thing kill two of my fish. Never found out what it was, although I thought maybe hexamita which can cause bloating. Have you tried seeing if you can source some metronidazole? I believe that is effective in treating hexamita and other parasites.

Here is pictures of the two affected fish

Does this appear similar to what your male had? It kind of looked like a sac of air around the stomach of my fish, and the scales weren't really raised or anything.

Espom salt is what I was using before, that had no effect x_X Like I said, I think the tail-biting was my fault for placing their tanks too close together accidentally,; it hasn't gotten worse since I moved them

Considering he's going on two months with no changes, I guess its not parasites either. I will look into metronidazole, thanks c: